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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · pass · branch · lash · track · swing · snap · spring

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. track — to keep track
  10. swing — in golf
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. snap — to click
  15. spring — the season
  16. track — a song
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. branch — a division
  19. swing — to play on
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. track — a path
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. swing — music
  24. snap — to speak sharply

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com